Castells Goes Back to School for Mervyn’s

LOS ANGELES Castells & Asociados has launched a Hispanic back-to-school advertising campaign for Mervyn’s, the agency said.

The effort includes a 60-second Hispanic radio spot with original music and lyrics, as well as three versions of a 30-second commercial the Los Angeles agency adapted from a general-market ad created by Ron Foth Advertising in Columbus, Ohio.

Ron Foth’s ads for the Target Corp. company used recording group Smash Mouth, which re-recorded 1970s rock tunes “Interjections,” “I’m Just a Bill” and “Conjunction Junction.” Those tunes focused on teaching math, history, grammar and science.

The Castells’ spots show children dancing and having fun in a classroom. TV and radio ads feature music from Latin teen band Timbiriche. Castells rewrote the band’s self-titled song, which was also the theme of its television show, to fit the back-to-school theme of learning and fun.

Ads include the line, “Grandes marcas, precios pequenos,” which is a translation of “Big brands, small prices.”

The spots will air in the 14 states across the U.S. where Mervyn’s has stores. Spending for the effort could not be determined.

According to a representative for Castells, Target Corp. has estimated that 28 percent of Mervyn’s customer base is Latino.